Interlude - Phinora
Sigurd collapsed when we returned with Quan and Ethlyn's bodies, screaming. Lex actually had to carry him because he was unresponsive. The Phinora Elder, kindly, gave us a large manor to stay in, and also let us lay Quan, Ethlyn, and the Leonster Knights to rest in their crypt, to be moved to Leonster later.
That first night, I spent sobbing. I just couldn't believe it. They were dead. They were dead. I had always feared losing people. Most healers did. That was why many healers were isolated. But then Ethlyn had invited me to join the army, and I met all these wonderful people I loved dearly. I found a family. But now she was gone. I'd never laugh with her again. I'd never exchange a secretive smile with her again. And Quan… Quan was gone too. I'd never laugh at his fussing again. I'd never help him tease Sigurd and Finn again. I…
This wasn't supposed to happen. Why did it happen?
"I don't see how your hair gets so tangled when it's so short," I murmured, brushing Sigurd's hair. We were in his room, where I had bullied him into at least sitting by the window. "Goodness…"
"Ethlyn used to tease me about that," Sigurd mumbled. He absently stirred his untouched broth, the first meal he'd 'had' since Quan and Ethlyn died a few days ago. He'd been holed up in his room ever since; I'd actually had to enlist Dew's help to get the darn door open. "I'd tease her back, because her hair tangled just as easily."
"I remember that." There had been many mornings I had helped her brush her hair, much as I helped Sigurd now. "How's your face?"
"It's fine." He absently swiped at the little cut I had left behind. He hadn't shaved, so I had done it for him. I half-wondered if I'd need to get some help throwing him into a bath. "Thank you. I hate wearing a beard. Always itches."
"Of course." I glanced outside, looking at the bright sunlight streaming through the window. It was the only light in the room. Sigurd could barely get himself out of bed; lighting a candle was too much. "You should eat. You promised Oifeye."
"I did, huh?" He sighed, and reluctantly tried to eat. He immediately coughed and choked on it. "Ugh…"
"Try a smaller spoonful." I finished brushing his hair and helped him wipe up the spilled broth. "Though I can send for Azel if it needs to be warmed."
"No, it's fine." He shook his head and tried again. His hand shook so much, though, that he gave up. "This is pathetic, huh?"
"Never." I knew how broken I felt, and I had only known the two for four years. He had known them for so much longer. "But if I need to feed you, I will."
"Let me try again, in a few moments." He looked outside, and after a moment, I went to make him some tea. "You know, ever since she was born, Ethlyn has been one of my most precious people."
"I can believe that." She was always bright and cheerful, and she had loved Sigurd dearly. "Were you always close, growing up?"
"We got closer when I moved past the idiotic 'oh, real men don't show affection' crap. But she's always been one of the lights in my life. After Mother died, I was able to keep my smile because of her." He smiled faintly, pained and nostalgic. "When I was at the military academy, she would write twice a day and visit whenever she could. That's actually where she first met Quan."
"Did she fall in love at first sight?"
"She was certainly charmed at first sight." He laughed, but it was bitter. "I was the first person she told about her crush, and I helped her out as much as I could. I was also technically the first person she told about getting together, though that had been a bit unconventional." I vaguely remembered him joking about that with Ethlyn, back with Deirdre first joined us. "All I ever wanted, growing up, was for her to be happy. Her, Quan, Eldigan… I would pray for their happiness. Now though…" His expression crumbled and he began quietly sobbing. I left the tea to steep and went over to rub his back. "Why? What did I do wrong? I keep thinking, and I can't…"
"This isn't your fault, Sigurd."
"Isn't it? I should've told them to not come."
"You think they would've listened?"
"...True…" He covered his face, laughing darkly. "Gods, I'm falling apart. Some leader I am..."
"Well, we got hit with a lot of things at once."
"I suppose." He rubbed roughly at his face, his wedding ring actually scratching his face. "Hey, how do you remain so calm? I know you're hurting."
"...Part of it is long years of training, Sigurd. Healers are trained to be calm with things are rough, because a second spent panicking is a second that could be spent saving a life." I smiled sadly, having to fight back my own burst of tears. I was honestly barely holding on. All I could think of was finding their bodies, and curse the fact that I never gave Ethlyn or Quan my bracelet. Yes, it had helped me protect Jamke. Yes, it might have spared Claude and me. But gods, if one of them had been wearing it, it might've spared them. "Besides, I'm taking care of you. Speaking of which…"
"I need to eat." He coughed a bit and I found him a handkerchief to clean his face with before bringing the tea over. "Seliph isn't going to remember Ethlyn and Quan. Neither is… is Leif."
"Then we'll tell him lots of stories. You'll tell Leif lots of stories."
"Yeah, and about Alte…" Sigurd broke down again and it was hard to not cry too. As horrific and 'unfair' as Ethlyn and Quan's deaths were, Altena's death was… gods, she had been four years old. She had just been four years old! "Why? Why was she there? Why the hell did they bring her?"
"I don't know." Maybe Quan got overconfident and reacted on misinformation, like when Finn got that gut wound in Noldion. Maybe Ethlyn trusted too much in the soldiers, much like when Altena was with us during the first Agustria campaign. Maybe it was nothing but bad luck and horrible timing. "I doubt we'll ever learn."
"Maybe we can ask Finn." Slowly, Sigurd calmed down again, and I helped him clean his face. "I'm glad he's at least was spared. He still needs to meet Diarmuid, and we need that 'proper wedding' for him and Lachesis." He stirred his cold broth, looking back outside with red-rimmed eyes. "How is she?"
"She's… not doing well." Honestly, Lachesis had reacted much like Sigurd had, which had been her reaction when Eldigan died. She was completely isolated, not eating or bathing or anything. "However, we're all looking after each other. Ayra is bullying her into eating." This loss was hard on all of us. Ethlyn and Quan had been well loved. "We are, after all, a rather unconventional family."
"That's true." Finally, he began to eat, and this time, he didn't choke. "It's really bland."
"You haven't eaten for a few days. You can eat tasty stuff again once you go back to eating regularly."
"That sounds like blackmail." Still, he kept on eating, slowly and shakily. I had to help him drink his tea, though, as his hands shook too much.
Of course, Lewyn almost made all the effort for naught because he burst in with some absolutely absurd story that nearly killed us both from hysterical laughter. But the laughter was good. It was good to remember that we could, in fact, still laugh. Despite how much it hurt, Ethlyn and Quan hadn't taken the laughter with them. In time, we'd heal, even if that seemed impossible now.
Well, at least, that's what I hoped. I was a healer. I liked healing people, helping them past their hurt, and Lewyn's story reminded me of what Chulainn had taught me. 'Who healed the healer?' Why, it was the people she healed, giving back. We would all get through this together. I knew we would, in time.
"Thank you, Lady Healer!" a little girl called as she skipped away with her older sister. The sister bowed respectfully. "Byebye!"
"Be careful climbing trees next time!" I replied, waving. Then I moved onto the next patient, a young carpenter who got a really bad splinter. "Goodness, how did you do that?"
The past few days, I had been treating the people of Phinora. It wasn't just 'being helpful', though. Working so much made it easier to sleep, and made me less likely to miss Caitriona and Conall. I couldn't cuddle with them to wind down from a long day, after all. Chulainn worried, but let me go at it for now. He even covered for me when Claude inquired about how much I was working.
"I'm so sorry, Lady Healer!" a young mother yelped as she tried to get her child to calm down long enough for me to give them a checkup. They were crying up a storm, likely from some sort of pain. "I…"
"It's all right," I reassured. After a moment, I pulled Altena's bear from my pack and held it up, waving the paw. "Hello, there!" I really should've given the bear to Sigurd, but I couldn't. It broke my heart, but I couldn't let it go. "Will you smile for me?"
It didn't take long for the child to calm down 'for the bear', and I was able to fix them up easily enough. Then I continued on, healing everyone who came to me. Crying children were placated by Altena's bear. The adults listened closely to my instructions when it came to medicines. So my day continued, never really changing, until I was just about to stop for the day due to the sun setting.
"My pardon, Lady Healer?" a person whispered softly, catching my attention. They wore a hood to protect their head from the sun, but they had it far enough back to not cover their expression, worried and earnest. "My friend collapsed and is too dizzy to walk. I know it sounds…"
"So long as we don't leave the city's limits, we'll be fine," I reassured. I looked at them curiously, recognizing the accent but unable to place where. "I was just about to leave anyway, so your friend can be my last patient."
"Thank you so much!" They bowed low, and I thought their eyes flicked over briefly to my bracelet. I could have been mistaken, though. "He's this way!"
They led me towards the edge of town, just within the borders, rambling about how they had been searching for something in the desert before they decided to see if the something was in town. I smiled and nodded, not quite paying attention past 'spent a long time in the sun'. When we found their friend, carefully out of the way and leaning against a building, I gave them a check up and confirmed my suspicion.
"It's heat exhaustion and some very bad sunburns," I diagnosed, already pulling out medicines and going to work easing what I could with my staff. "You should have been more careful with the heat."
"We didn't think it would take that long to find it," the first one admitted sheepishly. They rested a hand on their friend's shoulder. "Will they be all right?"
"Yes, they will, but don't be surprised by silence for now." I continued working, wondering why they would think something would be 'easy to find'. "The desert is very vast."
"We knew the area we were in." They shrugged. Their friend shot a warning look, but closed their eyes, ignoring our conversation entirely. "Noticeably marked."
"I see?" I frowned, not sure what they were talking about. The only unique 'landmark' I had seen around here was the weapons and armor of the Leonster knights. "Regardless, your friend will be fine, as I said."
"Good." They breathed a sigh of relief. "Gods, I hate the desert. Sucks every time."
"You travel it often?"
"I avoid it when I can, but sometimes, mercenary jobs…" They shrugged. "Got to go where the money is, and the tactical advantage we provide gets us nice bonuses."
"Of course." There was something strange about the sentence though, something that held my attention, and then suddenly, it all clicked together. Thracian. The accent was Thracian. That meant… "I've a question." I paused in my work to look at them. Their friend was very firmly staying out of the conversation. "Are you Thracian?" They hesitated in answering. "Are you the Thracians who killed the Leonster knights?" They flinched, but didn't say anything. That was enough. "You…!" Anger flooded me, but I bit my tongue and kept on working, to both of their visible surprise. But I was a healer. Even if I was furious, even if I loathed myself, I was a healer. I would keep to my oath. Besides, if they had been there… "Altena."
"P-pardon?"
"There was a little girl with the knights named Altena." My movements were sharper as I applied medicine to soothe the sunburns, but I did do my best to keep gentle. Sunburns hurt. "How did she…?"
"Oh, the adorable little ball of sunshine?" They smiled and I had to pause again, wondering just why they would describe her as… "She's charming the group, more than likely."
"...She's alive?" Tears of relief pricked my eyes, but I held onto my calm. Barely. "We thought…"
"Not safe to leave a little girl in the sands, and we weren't certain it was safe to fly up to Phinora. Based on the dead knights we saw on the way here, I'd say it wasn't. So, King Travant took her with him, back to Thracia." They shrugged, still smiling. "She was too young to understand death and all, and was laughing at how high she was flying. But then she complained about not having her 'bear'. So, we were sent back to see if we could find it. You can understand why we thought it wouldn't take long."
"Yes, I suppose so." I finished applying the balm and quickly wiped my hands off before pulling out Altena's bear. She was alive. She was alive. "Here, I think this is what you're looking for." I handed them the bear, smiling. "I gave it to her when she was little, and I found it." However, that smile soon faltered as I finally processed one very key piece of information. "Wait, you said Travant took her…?"
"Yes?" They took the bear from me and carefully tucked it into their pack. Their friend breathed a sigh of relief, but still remained silent with their eyes closed. "I mean; he's the one who led the attack."
"What…?" The words hit me like stone. Travant had… Travant had been the one who…
"Yes." Oblivious to my shock, they brushed their hair behind their ear. "This wandering priest named Veld told us that Quan was heading through the desert with some of Leonster's finest. Travant thought it strange, considering how the recent battles had been going, but he also thought it made sense since Lord Sigurd was in Silesse and Quan would have to travel the desert to reach his brother-in-law and help. Since we also had a contract with King Azmur, he decided there was no reason to not check it out."
"King Azmur hired Thracia?"
"He wanted extra security during the wedding, and we've assisted in the subjugation of Agustria and Verdane." They said the words easily, and it was obvious why since it was just a job to them. But it still made my heart ache. "Anyway, we found them and King Travant debated whether or not to strike."
"What was the other option?"
"Ignoring, obviously. I mean; we had a contract and it didn't involve Leonster's bastard knights." They spat out the last words, and I remembered what Travant had told me about 'attacks'. Quan had promised to look into it. I wondered if he even had the chance. "Still, he decided the chance was too good to pass up, so we struck."
"I see." Everything hurt. Everything hurt so, so much. "How did Ethlyn die?"
"Princess Ethlyn? Not sure, truthfully. We were in a different part of the fight." Still, they closed their eyes to remember. I wondered briefly why they were being so open, but when they opened their eyes again, they looked right at my bracelet. That was why. I wore a dragon's eye, and so, they were being as respectful and helpful as possible. "I remember that when the fighting started, she gave her little girl to a knight and told them to ride back. She then dropped her saddlebags to have less weight for her horse to deal with." That explained why her saddlebags had been away from the battle, then, and why Altena's bear had been near. She must've dropped it while the knight tried to save her. "But I don't know how she died. I know she fought like a demon, but I don't know if one of us killed her or if she killed herself to avoid being used as a hostage."
"I see." Ethlyn… ah, her final moments must have been filled with such panic. "Quan?"
"He fought valiantly, and even I have to admit to that, even if he was Leonster. That Gae Bolg caused us no end of trouble." That… made me frown. Gae Bolg hadn't been among the scattered weapons. Surely, we would've seen it if it had. "But he dropped it when Altena was held hostage."
"You held a child hostage?!"
"I-it wasn't King Travant's idea!" They brought their hands up in a pacifying gesture, and spoke so quickly that I had no idea if they were lying or not. "Just, you know, desperation and… uh… a-anyway, King Travant killed him after he dropped Gae Bolg. We took it with us as a trophy. Morale and all."
"...I see." I was absolutely furious. I was so tempted to scream and draw attention. At this point, they were no longer my patients. I had completely my treatment of them. I could just leave them to die, as I had Chagall. I could just leave them to their fates, as I let Annand walk to her death. But I still had one question. "Who covered Quan and Ethlyn?"
"King Travant insisted on it." Those words felt like ice water. "He carried Quan over to where she was, made sure they were 'holding hands', and covered them to protect them from the sand. Then he calmed down the crying little girl and left with her."
"Ah…" With that, the fury… well, it didn't fade. I was still beyond angry at how Altena had been used as a hostage, at how they had used her against Quan. But to know Travant had also been the one to honor them like that calmed me enough to admit that these two were just following orders and doing what they thought was right for their country. They were just trying to make a living, and to help their people. I remembered what bits I knew of how Thracia was, like how many had to choose between food and medicine, and how older siblings would starve to death so that their younger siblings would be able to eat. I couldn't tell them that they were wrong, just because they killed people I loved. Considering how many people our army killed, I… "Will you deliver a message to Travant for me?"
"O-of course!" They smiled and straightened their posture proudly. "What is it?"
"Please, tell him the Vala healer trusts that he will take very good care of Altena, until her family can see her again." I looked up at the sky, noticing it was past sunset. The others would be worried… "You'd best leave town, though. I'm not sure how the others in the army will react. I'd rather you not undo my work so quickly."
"Yes, Lady Healer." They bowed to me again. "...Thank you for healing him, even after…"
"It's my job." I stood up and brushed my skirt off. Their friend opened their eyes finally. "Have a safe trip home." My tongue practically burned with the words, but I felt I had to say them. If they had told me the truth, then they would make sure the bear and the message would get to Altena and Travant.
I did leave sharply after that, each motion crisp until I was certain I was out of sight. Then I ran. I ran as fast as I could, back to the manor, and took a couple of the lesser used hallways to Sigurd's room. I knocked twice before bursting in. He gave me a confused look in return, since the robe and sleeping pants hinted he'd been trying to go to sleep, though his standing also hinted he gave up.
"I just had Sylvia asking if I'd seen you, because you were apparently late from your healing duties in town," he noted dryly, tying his robe shut. I was pleased that he was well enough to be sarcastic. "So, what has you not being your normal polite self and-"
"Altena's alive," I blurted. He stilled and stared in incomprehension. "Well, I think she is. I didn't see her or anything, but you see, while I was out…" All excitement, however, fled when I slowly realized I had to explain how I had learned that. "Well…"
"...Some Thracians came to you for treatment." However, Sigurd knew me too well and guessed immediately. "And because you're a healer, you did so." Thankfully, he didn't look made. He was still stunned, certainly, but not mad. "But because you're you, you also demanded information."
"...Yes..." I said the word to the floor, simultaneously not regretting a thing and feeling horribly guilty. "I'm sorry. I should've shouted for someone, but…"
"She's alive. Altena is alive."
"That's what they said, at least. I gave them her bear to take back to her." I shrugged, now feeling a little helpless. "So, I mean…"
"There's a chance. There's an actual chance they're alive."
"Yes. They also…" I hesitated, but pushed forward. "They also told me how Ethlyn and Quan died, and it matches up with their wounds. I think. So, that makes me hopeful that they…"
"We'll keep it quiet for now. Just in case." He finally, slowly, smiled. He also began crying again, this time from bitter relief. "I don't want the others…"
"Of course. I'll keep it quiet." Part of me wanted to tell the others, but I could see why. Things were already difficult enough and the more people told, the more hopeful we became. "When this is all over, we'll check and make sure. If she's there, we'll get her."
"After we go to Isaach." He sat down on the bed and covered his face. "Ah, forgive me, but I think I need to be alone."
"Of course." I smiled as warmly as I could. "But I will be bullying you into eating your breakfast in the morning."
I did make a point to hug him before I left, carefully shutting the door behind me. Then I went to find Sylvia and let her know that I was back, I just had a patient that took longer than expected. Afterwards, though, I went to my room and barely shut the door before I collapsed as the weight of a very important fact, one I tried desperately to ignore while around strangers, crashed into me.
Travant killed them. Travant, who I saved, killed Ethlyn and Quan. If I hadn't saved him, they might still be alive. If I hadn't saved him, they wouldn't be dead. But what else could I have done? He had been my patient. I had to heal him. I knew I would regret it, but not like that. I knew I would regret it, even had a letter warning me about it, but not like that, not like this. I acknowledged the possibility, but to have it actually happen was too much. So, I collapsed and curled up in a little ball on the floor, sobbing apologies to their ghosts because I could literally do nothing else.
At some point, Chulainn picked me up off the floor and cradled me in his arms on the bed, letting me sob into his chest. "I was wondering when you'd collapse," he murmured, kissing my hair. I couldn't respond. I was too busy wailing. "I knew you were working too hard."
That was all he said, but he held me tightly until I cried myself to sleep. The next morning, when I woke up, he had a warm bath ready for me, and breakfast in bed, so that I could just… rest.
Gods, I loved him. I'd be a total mess without him.
A couple days after I learned… after my collapse, I decided to sort through my things. It was a random whim truthfully, less to actually sort and more to just remind myself of what all I picked up over the years. There were some ribbons from Ethlyn, for instance, that I never wore. There were some small trinkets from Verdane and Agustria. At least, I thought so. I honestly couldn't remember where I got most of them. But I did remember where I got the crudely carved wooden dragon, even before I found the picture Arion had drawn me, and the letter Hannibal had sent along. The words 'thank you for healing my daddy!' stood out and helped… ground me, I suppose.
Healing Travant had cost Altena and Leif their parents, but it had saved a little boy's father, one who lost his mother brutally to war long ago. It had cost me friends, but there was Hannibal's letter, citing he was Travant's childhood friend, meaning I had saved his. It had cost Leonster dearly, but according to Hannibal, it had helped Thracia. Just because it hurt me personally didn't mean… the world wasn't black and white. Even things that often were 'right' or 'wrong' had their exceptions, like how 'killing' was bad, except during a war or to protect something or as a mercy, or how 'healing' was good, except when all you did was draw out their pain and lead them to an agonizing death or your healing only led them to be in a vegetative state for the rest of their 'life'.
There were good people we had killed in the past, people who fought for what they thought was right. Pamela, for instance, fought against Lewyn in the civil war not because she was a bad person, but because she thought Lewyn wasn't a worthy king for her country. The Cross Knights had fought against us, because they thought it was the way to protect Agustria. Even Travant had only 'fought' us in Agustria because the money Chagall paid was enough to buy Thracia another year of life.
I was sure there were families screaming over what we had done, mourning for the dead that we had killed while doing only what we thought was right. It was 'fair' that we would suffer the same, even though the whole thing hurt me deeply, to the point that I wasn't sure my heart would recover any time soon. But, in a way, it was just like when I let Annand walk off to her death, after healing her up. It was like when I sent out soldiers to fight, after I stitched their wounds.
This was why healers were often isolated. Our oaths required neutrality, and it was so much easier to be neutral when you cared about people 'in general' and not individuals. Though, at the same time, I loved all of my friends, my family, too dearly to ever give them up, even knowing the pain that might come. Maybe this was why people said loving someone required the most courage. Though, it could also just be me being mildly addled by everything. Both were plausible.
"Alicia?" Lachesis's quiet voice nearly made me panic, and I quickly hid the drawing and carving before turning to the door. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she mumbled. Her hair fell in tangles by her face, and she looked like she'd just threw on the first thing she grabbed, none of which matched. "I thought… about trying to take a walk. But I…"
"Give me two seconds, and I'll come with you," I reassured, already packing my things up again. I knew why she was asking. She thought she'd stop if on her own. "There's a beautiful park in the center of town, by the oasis."
"That sounds good." She smiled wanly, but it did bring some light to her face. "Let's do that."
Once I was cleaned up, I insisted we wait to head out until I brushed her hair. By the time I did that, she realized just what she was wearing and changed clothes. Only after all of that did we actually head outside. I held her hand as we walked through town towards the park. People were laughing and playing about, and it wasn't long before we saw that others in our army had the same idea.
I knew Chulainn had dragged Sigurd outside, and it looked from here that he had recruiting Midir to help. The knight trio of Chalphy were laughing about something with Beowolf and flirting a bit with some of the girls from town. Most, surprisingly, were grouped by couple. Claude and Sylvia were quietly arguing something, for instance, while Claude cradled Lene against his shoulder. Lex and Ayra were rolling their eyes and teasing each other. Azel and Tailtiu discussed something serious. Jamke and Brigid talked while he braided flowers into her hair. At first, I thought Lewyn and Erinys were the only exception, but a quick look above showed them flying through the sky, laughing all the while.
"It's like everyone decided to go on dates," Lachesis half-joked, half-complained. She leaned into my side, resting her head on my shoulder briefly. "I miss Finn."
"We did remember to give you the letter, right?" I asked. Honestly, the hours after returning had been such a whirlwind and the days afterwards had been just as disorienting. "I don't think I've read mine."
"You did, and I have. He apologized for not taking the opportunity to come see me and meet Diarmuid." She laughed darkly. "If I'd read it in normal circumstances, I would've pouted so much. But now, I'm just so grateful that he decided to be the proper knight and guard Leonster."
"Did your letter mention why Finn was left?"
"Ironically, Quan had noticed Thracia moving and thought they'd attack the castle directly. Since Finn is one of the best knights, and the one Quan trusts most…" She smiled ruefully. "The other reason is because Leif apparently adores Finn, and will only settle down for naps if he's the one tucking him in."
"I see." I smiled, amused. I could see that so easily. "You know; I remember Altena being clingy with Finn too, when she was with us in Verdane."
"She was so sweet…" Her smile wobbled and I almost told her what I had learned about Altena. But I bit my tongue, because Sigurd had asked it be secret for now. There was too much going on and honestly, all of us were a little on edge. "He must be hurting so much. Finn, I mean."
"He… probably doesn't know yet." When would word reach? Would they learn through Thracia? That broke my heart even further. "Hopefully, we'll see him soon, and see him properly."
"Yes, we'll see him alive, not…" Her voice cracked and she hid her face in my shoulder. "Can we walk away from people?"
"Of course."
We didn't start talking again until we were well away from the crowd, walking around the edges of the town. At that point, we talked of random, innocent things. We talked of the clothes the people wore, from the designs to the colors. We talked of the flowers we saw and smelled, noting we didn't know most of them. We talked about various medicines and what was best for treating sunburns. We talked of the children and how we hoped Oifeye, Shanan, and Aideen weren't overwhelmed by taking care of all of them. We talking about anything and everything we could think of that wasn't too sad.
At some point, we reached the front gates of Phinora, and noticed someone in a fine, hooded red cloak looking about curiously. I wouldn't have paid them much mind, but their hood fell back just enough for me to get a glimpse of their face and I swore it was… "Aida?" I called hesitantly. The figure whirled towards me, and her face lit up with a smile. "Aida!"
"Lady Alicia!" she cried, rushing over. She gave me a warm hug and I returned it one-handed. "Oh, I'm glad to see that you're well." She pulled away and cupped my face, before she yelped and stepped back to bow. "Lady Lachesis! I'm so sorry!"
"You're fine," Lachesis reassured. She frowned, very confused, but I didn't blame her. While Aida no doubt knew Lachesis, Lachesis had likely never met Aida before. "You are…?"
"My name is Aida. I assist Arvis with ruling Velthomer and commanding its forces."
"She's also Arvis's best friend," I added, unable to keep from smiling. It was good to see her. "Though that does make me all the more curious as to what you're doing here in Phinora."
"Arvis has a plan. So, here I am!" Aida declared triumphantly, with a grin even. I nearly burst into tears because that was all she needed to say. Arvis… Arvis was helping us. "Might I talk to Sigurd?"
"I'll go let him know!" Lachesis volunteered, face alight with excitement now. The liveliness I associated with her was finally back in her eyes. "Take the long way!" Then she was off, running as fast as she could.
"Well, she's got some energy." Aida watched her and then turned to me with a soft smile. "However, I do see the signs of sudden weight loss and crying, on both her and you. Do you mind summarizing everything that's happened? We heard Langbalt and Andrei died, but that's where our information ends."
"It's been quite the stressful few weeks," I sighed. But I still smiled. This was… this was the best thing that could've happened. "But follow me. I'll tell you along the way."
I did make sure to take a winding way back to the manor, both to give Lachesis time and to tell Aida everything she needed to know. I told her of how Andrei and Langbalt died, and she had noted how fitting both deaths were. I told her how we made the decision to send the children to Isaach for safety, and she'd instantly sympathized. I told her of the ambush in the desert and she had winced, because they were likely Velthomer. I told her how we discovered Ethlyn and Quan dead in the desert and she'd gasped in shock. I managed to get through just about everything by the time we made it to the manor, and we had to stop in the doorway as she gave me another hug. Then we both nearly got tackled off our feet because Azel all but tackled both of us with hugs. After a round of greetings, Azel and I showed Aida to a room we were apparently pretending was Sigurd's study. He hadn't worked once since Ethlyn and Quan died, but you wouldn't know it, seeing him standing behind the desk. Hope had given him the energy needed to pretend to be okay.
"Lady Aida, I am very glad to see you," he greeted warmly. I looked around and noticed it was a small meeting, just people who knew Aida personally. Tailtiu and Lex lingered by the way, though Tailtiu practically bounced on her toes in excitement and Lex was more relaxed than I'd seen him in weeks. "It's been a trying time."
"So I've heard, Lord Sigurd," Aida replied. She bowed respectfully to him and smiled sympathetically. "Lady Alicia has told me everything. I cannot put into words how much I grieve for all you've suffered."
"Well, it seems that the end is finally in sight." Sigurd stepped around the desk and leaned against it. Azel and I shared a look and a grin. We were excited too. "Arvis has a plan? I'm not surprised. He always has plans."
"Yes, but it has been difficult putting it into motion. Lots of things have been colliding and causing trouble." She sighed in frustration, fiddling with her earring. "I'd honestly hoped I'd get to you sooner, to let you know what was going on, but damn Reptor watches the border too closely." She paused and bowed apologetically to Tailtiu. "Please pardon the curse, my lady."
"It's fine, Aida," Tailtiu reassured. She smiled, though she no longer bounced about. "I'm away my father has been… very terrible for the country at the moment."
"He has, unfortunately, become quite short-sighted in his desire to hold onto power," Aida tactfully replied. "I wish I could spare you, but he maintains the border defenses."
"Velthomer is on the border, though?"
"Yes, but Arvis is in Belhalla, handling things there and, well…" She shrugged, smiling slightly. "He's been very carefully holding Velthomer's forces back, for my use. I have full command of them, ready to assist."
"Wait, really?" Tailtiu's jaw dropped. "Wow…"
"Typical Arvis," Lex, however, laughed. Tailtiu sulked when she realized she was the only one in the room surprised. "So, basically, we get to pin Reptor?"
"Yes, and ideally force a surrender," Aida confirmed. She turned her attention back to Sigurd and, strangely, clasped her hands in front of her, like she was praying or pleading. "However, if I may request something?"
"Of course," Sigurd reassured. He was smiling softly, relaxing. This truly was the best news. "What is it?"
"Arvis has been near frantic with worry. Would you mind terribly if Lady Alicia and Lord Azel head to Belhalla ahead of you all?" She looked at us two pleadingly. We both just stared back in incomprehension. "I do have healers among my soldiers, as well as mage knights. I know they're both skilled, but…"
"I would hate to lose two of my best…" Sigurd looked at Azel and me. "But I would encourage you two to do so. I know you've also missed Arvis dearly."
"Well, yes, we have," Azel admitted reluctantly. He glanced over at Tailtiu, and she nodded vigorously, telling him to go ahead. "Mmm… all right. I'll go."
"It really would be better to have as many healers as possible, though," I pointed out. I scowled when I saw Lex facepalm. "What? It's true!"
"It is," Sigurd agreed. However, he walked over to me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "But I know you've been overworking because of what happened to Ethlyn and Quan. You've been taking care of all of us, especially me. I think you need the break."
"But…"
"In a best case scenario, there won't be anymore battles. In a worse, there will be only one." He smiled warmly. "Should I make it an order?"
"Healers have the authority to ignore orders from leaders." Still, I sighed. Something told me I wouldn't win this argument. I could hear everyone else's responses in my head. "Oh, fine. I'll go ahead too."
"Thank you so much!" Aida breathed, smiling warmly. She paused and looked over at Tailtiu and Lex again. "You two are welcome as well. Arvis has been almost as worried about you two."
"That's sweet, but we're definitely staying," Tailtiu refused. She smiled warmly, but there was a trace of seriousness to it. "I'd like to try talking to my father. Maybe I can help force that surrender. And I know Lex will want to stay close to Ayra."
"I see." Her smile faltered briefly, but she nodded. "Then, might we discuss strategy, Sigurd? You lead such a varied group. I fear I'll need quite a few pointers in integrating my people into your typical formations."
Azel and I quietly ducked out after that, both to gather people and to go ahead and start packing. I also needed to tell Chulainn what was going on. After all, despite my apprehensions, I couldn't help but be happy. I would see Arvis soon. Everything would be okay soon. This was… this was the best!
Early the next morning, Azel and I said goodbye to everyone. Since it was going to be for such a short time, we did our best to keep things short. It was mostly just hugs, and wishes for safe travels, though the number of people who demanded hugs did lengthen things considerably. Tailtiu, of course, nearly tackled me off my feet, and I only remained standing because Lex decided to turn it into a group hug. Ayra had shoved Lex off playfully to 'steal' me for a hug. Lachesis snuck up then to hug me too, while Erinys caught me from behind for a third. I 'broke' away in laughter and hugged Jamke goodbye, touched that he'd see me off. I was surprised Brigid did the same, but she claimed it was because she knew Aideen would want to do so. Midir refused a hug, too embarrassed, but the smile had been more than enough. It was more real that Claude's smile. Claude had the 'perfect healer smile' on when he hugged me goodbye, and I frowned slightly, noticing. But he shook his head and quickly distracted me via Sylvia, who also brought Lene for me to hug. It honestly took next to forever to finally get around to hugging Sigurd goodbye, but I wouldn't have changed any of it for anything.
"Here, you can play messenger for me," Sigurd noted when we pulled away. He handed me a purple and gold tome, one that hummed with power. "That's the Book of Naga. Father kept it safe while he ran, but it really should go to King Azmur and Princess Diadora." He grinned. "You can give it to her when you finally learn what she looks like!"
"You are horrible," I retorted, scowling for all of two seconds before laughing. I would indeed finally meet my brother's wife. I couldn't wait! "You have my word that I'll see it safely to her."
"I figured as much." He laughed softly and regarded me fondly. "Hey, thank you for everything. For joining us from the start and sticking with our craziness until the end."
"Oh, stop talking like I'm not going to see you again." I poked his cheek, sulking. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily. You are horrible at taking care of yourself, mister. Besides, I need to see your reaction when we finally find Deirdre."
"And take care of me when I fall apart if it's a worst case scenario." He shook his head at my frown. "At this point, Alicia, I just want to know. The worst is not knowing."
"I suppose that is true." Still, I would hold onto the hope that I would see her again. "Now, be careful while I'm away. Make sure you eat, and don't get yourself hurt."
"Tyrfing will protect me." He laughed and jokingly held up his hands in surrender when I scowled. "Except from a Vala, apparently! But yes, I'll be fine. But you be careful as well, okay?" He smiled sadly, yet fondly. "I've lost one little sister. I'd rather not lose a second."
"I won't be dying any time soon, Sigurd. You better not either." I smiled warmly in return. "I'd rather not lose a big brother, you know?"
"Then until I see you again, probably in a few days."
"Until then!" I gave him one more hug and then I darted over to where Chulainn was waiting patiently by the carriage Aida had arranged. She was checking to make sure everything was secure. "You know, Chulainn, you could just come with me."
"I told you last night that I'd stay here," Chulainn refused again. He caught me in a warm hug, lifting me off my feet even. "I'm glad you're going, though. You've been working far too hard. You should spend a couple of days just being spoiled."
"I suppose," I sighed. I tucked the Book of Naga in my pack, filled with all my things just as Azel's was filled with his. We didn't want anyone to have to keep track of them while we weren't here. "Still, it would be fun to see you meet Arvis. It'll be your very first meeting!"
"It will, which means I want to avoid the protective older brother a while longer."
"Now you're just teasing." I rolled my eyes and he grinned. "Well, do be careful, my love. I shall be most vexed if you get injured while I am not around. Please don't befriend any wild animals while I am away as well."
"Aw, but there are these absolutely adorable foxes that I think Caitriona and Conall would love." He laughed when I instantly glowered. "Relax. I'll be good." He leaned in and kissed me sweetly. "I'll see you soon."
"Yes, we'll be reunited soon." I smiled and kissed him again. "I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed me one more time and then looked to the others. "It seems Azel is done with his goodbyes."
"It seems so." I gave him another hug and then he helped me into the carriage. "Stay safe."
"You too." He squeezed my hand and let go, stepping away so that Azel could climb in as well. Aida shut the door and gave everything one last check before giving the order for the driver to take off.
Azel and I crouched by the window of the carriage, waving to everyone until they were out of sight. They waved back, all with bright smiles, smiles that seemed to linger even after we left them behind. Once they were, Azel and I set our packs on one bench and sat next to each other on the other one. He rested his head on my shoulder and I rested my cheek against his hair. After a moment, both of us were dozing because this just helped clarify everything.
It was over. All of our trials were over. We wouldn't have to fight anymore. We would see the children soon. Everything would finally be okay again. Thank… everything...
Author's notes: In game, Quan and Ethlyn die fighting, and if Ethlyn dies before Quan, Travant uses Altena as a hostage to make him drop the Gae Bolg. In the Oosawa manga, Ethlyn sends a knight away with Altena and attempts to fight back to buy time for them to escape. However, she loses, and kills herself to avoid being a hostage. Travant is shaken by her death (due to a previous subplot where Ethlyn saved his life), and Quan almost kills him, but a random Thracian knight uses Altena as a hostage instead. I gave that subplot to Alicia (thinking it suited Alicia, especially in highlighting how dedicated she is to her oath as a healer), and kept the details of the Yied Massacre ambiguous. You can decide whether it's fully like the game, fully like the Oosawa manga (minus the subplot with Ethlyn and Travant), or some combination. Veld, by the way, is a character from FE5.
After Phinora is captured, various couples can have conversations together, giving the biggest hints to 'predestined' pairs (and by biggest, I mean 'only' in most cases). The exceptions are Aideen with any of her predestined husbands (she talks with Midir, Jamke, and Azel in Chapter 4, and with Claude at the start of the chapter) and Lachesis if you pair her with Finn (funnily enough, despite supplementary materials hinting that the pairing is somewhat canon, at least for Lachesis's youngest kid, the two have absolutely no lover talks with each other. In fact, Finn has no lover talks as all, though he can have talks with his daughters in Gen2 if he's paired with Aideen, Ayra, or Lachesis). The couples that have talks at this point are Tailtiu-Azel/Claude/Lex, Erinys-Lewyn/Arden/Naoise, Sylvia-Claude/Lewyn/Alec, Lachesis-Beowolf/Naoise/Dew, Ayra-Lex/Chulainn/Arden, and Brigid-Alec/Jamke/Midir.
In-game, you have to defeat Reptor before talking to Aida, though she will turn into an allied NPC, alongside all her soldiers, before then (as soon as Reptor aggros, iirc). However, we moved the event up for pacing and story purposes. Reptor is interesting in that his magic stat breaks his class's cap significantly (it's 30, when the cap is 22) and he is yet another Holy Weapon user: Mjolnir, the thunder tome. Between his magic stat and Mjolnir, he has 60 attack, going after your no doubt low resistance. In FE4, it boosts skill by 20 and speed by 10. It also appears in FE13 (where it boasts a 20% critical rate and adds +5 skill) and FE14 (where it acts a lot like a Killer Weapon in those games, boosting crit by 25% and having crits do 4x the damage). His low resistance, however, is his greatest weakness, sitting at 10, meaning he's a prime candidate for the Silence Staff (that Alicia is bringing with her along with Sleep, whoops). The suggested strategies for him include Lewyn with Forseti (who will also have a bit of an advantage due to winning the magic triangle), Brigid with Yewfelle, Sigurd with Tyrfing, Chulainn with Luna, and Tailtiu if she's in Wrath range for the auto-critical and wielding a Thoron tome. That said, as a Baron, he's got Great Shield, which will nullify damage 30% of the time.
The idea of Azel (and Alicia) being sent ahead comes from the Oosawa manga. In-game, Sigurd never learns that Altena survived. I added that in for… reasons. The mention of 'healing only leading to an agonizing death' is a nod to Hinoka's A-support with Azama (think it's A), where that exact thing happens. The Book of Naga description is based off of the Heroes sprite for it.
Next Chapter - Why? (Final Chapter of Gen 1)
